Emerald Eyed Curse
by Maccbookworm
Summary: After being alone, unwanted and emotionally abused by her sister and her mother, Lily is rescued by her Aunt Violet to embark on a new magical journey as she explores the curse that was placed on her family centuries ago. Can she find it in her to love?
1. Chapter 1: Rescue!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

**Author's Note: Yes, I know I've been lazy and I haven't updated my other stories. And that I shouldn't have started this new story. It just started to bug me so much that U had to finally write it! Hope you like it...  
**

Chapter One

**Lily's POV**

I was in a peaceful world where nothing existed. Just complete utter darkness. No worries, no strife, no idiotic parents, no stuck-up classmates. No sisters jealous of your every moment and no mother's watchful eye. Just me, myself and I. The darkness wasn't evil – it was comp-letely neutral, but oh so wonderful and stress-free. It welcomed me with open arms as I fell deep into this world, only to resurface to the ever demanding grip of reality.

"Lily, wake up. Wake up!" screamed a high, shrill voice. I cracked one eye open as my windows were shoved wide open and my covers yanked onto the ground. A bony face with a long neck came into view, followed by the ever superior glint of my older sister. "Petunia, what time is it?" It was my birthday, for heaven's sakes. Doesn't that mean I get to at least rest for a while?

"No sleeping in, Lily. Mother wants you downstairs to cook breakfast. Come on, lazy," said Petunia primly before flouncing out the room. I groaned, sighed weakly, and got up.

It wasn't that I was being abused. Not physically, at least. But emotionally I was… scarred, you could say. My sister hated me for reasons unknown to me, and my mother blamed me for my father's death. That, and there was always a glint of something else in her eyes. I think the coldness in her voice and in her eyes was something a little deeper than just my father's death.

The only member of my family I adored was my Aunt Violet. Everyone said I looked like her, and everyone said Petunia looked like my mother. And it was true – I had Aunt Violet's red hair and green eyes. Grandmother had it too – guess that was where Aunt Violet got her looks from.

"Good morning Lily," was the stiff greeting I got from my mother. I nodded silently and went towards the stove. "Lily, a nod is hardly a proper greeting to your mother," said my mother sharply. I murmured, "Good morning, mother," softly and began to scramble the eggs.

I stared miserably at the yellow and white swirling together in the pan. It was my birthday, and no one even noticed it. I received no presents either.

I had often wondered why my mother hated me so. It all started the day my father died. Yes, that was it. I remembered the day just like yesterday:

_It was a cold winter's day, and I was only eight years old. I tugged on my father's hands and said, "Daddy. Daddy, why does that funny man have on a bathroom robe?" I had just noticed a 'funny man' that had black robes with a thin stick in his hands. He looked very starnge and very frightening._

_My dad paused in his step and looked to the person I was pointing at. He drew a quick breath in and took out a thin stick that looked exactly like the one inside the stranger's hands and whispered softly, "Run, Lily, run. Run home as fast as you can and tell your mother I love her. Go!"_

_By the time I reached home, I was sweating from running the fastest I had ever run my entire life. I hurtled through the front door and broke down in front of my mother in tears. She cradled me like she used to and whispered comforting things to me. "Daddy… daddy," I managed to choke out, "I saw a s-strange man. Daddy… he told m-me to r-run home. He said he l-loved you, mummy. He l-loves you,"_

_My mother knew what I meant, because when I said that, she suddenly stiffened. "What do you mean, dear? I thought you scraped your knee,"_

_"Daddy told me to run! I saw someone with something funny… a-a stick. Daddy has one t-too. I d-don't know w-what happened t-to him!" the moment I said that, my mother had ordered me into my room and she ran out of the house herself._

_The next day, she came home and told me my father was dead. She didn't say it herself, but from that moment on she grew to hate me. To hate the daughter she had treasured above all for _eight years_. The day my best friend, my protector, my father died, my mother became a stranger to me. My sister scorned me, and she and my mother became as thick as thieves._

My mother's oddities had not stopped since the moment she started becoming distant to me. She made me drink vile things, and she drew runes around me. I often wondered what she was doing, but when I asked her she merely replied, "Do as you're told," and that was the end of the discussion.

"Lily, are you done? I have a… present for you," said my mother a little too sweetly. Just then, Petunia came down the stairs. "Here you go, Lily. It's from both of us," said Petunia with a nasty growl behind her kind words, and presented me with a bottle.

It was tiny, and it fit inside my palm. A little bottle filled with liquid of the darkest red.

"What is it?" I asked. I felt a little shiver run down my spine as I stared at the vial inside my hands.

"Don't question me, Lily. I know what's best for you. Everyone in my family on their eleventh birthday drinks it, and so did Petty. Didn't you, dear?" said my mother sharply, her voice warming considerably when she turned to Petunia.

Petunia nodded a bit too slyly for my comfort. "It's a marvellous potion. I can't tell you what it does. I can only tell you if you drink it, mother and I will be able to include you in our little 'talks',"

More than anything I wanted to fit in. More than anything I yearned for my mother and sister, for my dead father, for everything to be back to how it used to be. Besides, I was curious. And as we all know, curiosity killed the cat. Let's just hope I don't actually die in this case…

I slowly took the cork out of the vial, and I raised the glass bottle to my lips. I slowly tilted it back, always wondering, hesitant at the vulture-like looks on my sister and mother's face.

Just as I tipped it back, the front door opened, and a voice screamed, "STOP!" I was so startled I dropped the bottle, and the vial crashed onto the floor. "NO!" screamed my mother. Petunia only stared at the dark red liquid on the floor.

I whirled around, surprised at whoever had entered the house. I stared in shock at the person in front me. She was my exact replica. Which meant only one thing: Aunt Violet.

"Aunt Violet, what are you doing here?" I asked her hesitantly. For upon her face was anger and hatred in a magnitude I had never imagined possible directed at my mother and my sister.

"What were you doing, Rose? Have you sunk so low as to do this? How dare you brainwash Petunia! How dare you try and harm Lily! Your own flesh and blood!" yelled Aunt Violet. I stared at my mother in shock. What was going on? According to Aunt Violet, the liquid would have harmed me…?

"She is no daughter of mine! I only have daughter, and that is Petty. This… girl ceased to be part of my family the day she murdered her own father!" said my mother in a deadly voice. I gasped. That was the reason why my mother hated me?

The thought had never entered my head, but in some twisted way it started to make sense. I did not have time to dwell on this, though, because Aunt Violet was now red with rage. "STUPEFY!" she yelled, a stick in her hand just like the one in my father's so many years ago. I watched in amazement and horror as a beam of light shot towards my mother and Petunia. They crumpled unto the ground, unconscious.

Then Aunt Violet turned to face me, and her gaze softened. "I'm so sorry you had to see that, Lily. I'm so sorry I didn't rescue you out of this mad house so many years ago. I should have taken you in the day your father died, but your mother resisted. I had not known why for so many years, but I guess I found my answer now,"

I stood there, tongue-tied. "W-what did you do to mother and Petunia?" I asked, finally finding my voice. Did Aunt Violet kill them?

As if reading my thought, she laughed. "No, I only stunned them. Your mother, in all probability, will be sent to Azkaban and your sister to the closest relative able to take her in,"

I had so many questions in my mind that I just burst forth from order of importance, "What did my mother try to do to me? What did you just do to them? Is it some sort of chemical? Why do you need a stick? Why did my dad have a stick too? Why are you here?" I grew quieter at the mention of my dad.

Aunt Violet seemed to sense my feelings and talked to me gently, "I'm a witch, Lily – a good witch, like Cinderella's fairy godmother. Every good witch needs a wand to channel her magic, Lily. Your father was a wizard, actually. I was here to take you somewhere else away from your mother, and to tell you a story. I knew your mother became depressed after your father died, but I never knew she would try _that_!"

"You're a witch? If my dad was a wizard, then that means the stranger who killed him was…"

"Was also a wizard. Here, let me show you a handy spell," said Aunt Violet a little gravely.

As my mother started to stir, Aunt Violet bound the two of them in ropes and put a full body bind on them.

"Why don't you sit down, Lily. This will come as quite a shock," said Aunt Violet quietly. I mutely took the closest chair and sat.

Aunt Violet then began her story, "Once upon a time, there was old, ancient, powerful family called Lionheart. They were a good family, very influential, and so a duty, and a curse, was bestowed upon them. One child in every generation blessed with emerald eyes would be given a great power and responsibility. With me so far?" I nodded, and Aunt Violet continued.

"The emerald eyed child would absorb all the power of their siblings the moment they turned eleven. By power, I mean magical power. So the child would have a magnified power reserve, but their siblings would become Squibs. People with knowledge of the magical world, but possessed little or no magical ability themselves. As I said before, it was a great but terrible thing,"

"Of course, the Lionheart line died out eventually, but every emerald eyed child could have the choice to take up the Lionheart name. When the child turned eleven, they would be sent to the child in the generation before and study from them. Learn from them. That is why I am here today,"

"How does this concern me?"

"You are the emerald eyed child, Lily. I was, and now it is your turn. Should you choose to be, your name would be Lily Evans Lionheart,"

I had just found out I was the last living descendant of the ancient line of Lionheart. Also, I found out I was a witch.

"Let me get this straight. I am now a Lionheart. I am also a witch. In addition, I have just stripped Petunia of her magical powers. Am I correct?" I asked my aunt, stunned. My hadn't my mother told me this before?

"Yes, and now this brings me to the darker side of my story. You see, your mother was a witch too. Oh, how she loved magic. But she didn't have emerald eyes, and so the day I turned eleven and the day our mother sat us down to tell us the very same story I told you, she literally tried to rip my eyes out," said my aunt, laughing humourlessly.

My mother… was a witch? I can just imagine she had felt when she learned she couldn't fulfill her destiny because of her younger sister.

"No wonder my mother hated me. She saw you in me, didn't she? She hated my magical powers. She hated the fact that I was a witch and Petunia, who looks exactly like her, wasn't," I said softly, unbelieving.

Aunt Violet nodded sadly and I sighed. "It's a curse, Lily, because of that. Whoever did this ancient spell on us was wrong to do so. Whatever powers we may gain because of this is useless without our family's love and protection. In essence, this curse destroyed the Lionheart family. So many family feuds, so many dead," finished Aunt Violet.

"Why though? Why do we have this curse?"

"I just told you I am a good witch, right? That doesn't mean that there aren't dark witches and wizards out there. The emerald eyed child is, essentially, the protector of the magical world against the forces of evil,"

I suddenly felt very afraid. I couldn't protect a world I knew nothing about, not when I was so defenceless myself. I didn't _want_ to, anyways.

"I don't want to," I voiced my thought out loud.

"My dear child, you have no choice. None of us did. The curse just chose the person who was the strongest, bravest, wittiest, and most powerful out of the generation. You can't back down, Lily. It's the curse that does not allow you to,"

"That still doesn't explain what my mother tried to do to me. Whatever she did,"

"That is the saddest part of the story. Do you remember I told you about Dark wizards and witches? Well, they practice the Dark Arts. The darkest forms of the Dark Arts can be made without using magic, and I believe your mother just tried one of the ancient potions on you. It's a terrible thing. You don't need to learn how to make it, Lily dearest. All you need to know is that your mother just tried to strip you of all your powers and give them to Petunia,"

"That doesn't seem so bad. I mean, I wouldn't have liked it, but given the choice I might go through with it if they asked me to. I don't really want to have this power, whatever it is. I just want to… be normal,"

"Lily, if they had succeeded in stripping you of your powers, the magical backlash and the fact that is one of the Darkest potions would have killed you instantly. If it hadn't, it would have rendered you a soulless, mindless creature, doomed to roam the earth,"

I gasped. What had my mother tried to do to me? Why would she do that?! I just sat there in shock, I was so confused.

"Mother! Mother, what have you done? Why would you do it to me?" I whispered in anguish.

I didn't even notice that tears had been sliding down my cheeks until my Aunt Violet reached over and wiped them away before drawing me into a hug. It wasn't until I felt something wet on my head that I realized she was crying too.

**Reviews are always welcome...!**


	2. Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

**Disclaimer: I don;t own Harry Potter**

**Author's Note: Yay! Another chapter for this story! I have the story completely sketched out so I should have a chapter a day uploaded! Anyways, this is the big chapter where Lily and James meet for the first time...**

Chapter Two

**Lily's POV**

It has now been a few months already and I'm living in one of Aunt Violet's houses. It is an amazing experience to be a Lionheart, and the respect that you can command from that name alone. No longer am I sad, or alone. I have Aunt Violet now and I am so happy living here with her in the magical world.

There are two house elves in each of the estates, and right now we're in the main estate which is a huge castle of pure white with a moat, rolling grounds and stables. I haven't found out much about what it means to be an emerald eyed child yet because Aunt Violet hasn't told me the powers I'll inherit. She says that she can't, and that I will have to figure it out myself.

One clue she has given me is that the necklace that always hangs around her neck will be mine the day she dies or the day I turn seventeen (and becomes a legal adult), whichever comes first. It's not the necklace that will help me gain my powers, though: it's the stone that hangs from it.

The stone is a brilliant carving of the soul spirit animal of the current Keeper (that was the common term for an emerald eyed child). The eyes are always twin orbs of emerald that never change. The orbs are the true power source of the stone, and cannot be replaced.

The stone used to shape the animal itself is a dazzling rainbow colour. Any colour you can ever imagine can be found somewhere in the swirls of the stone – it is said to be able to hypnotize anyone that looks into it.

I have been fascinated with the stone since I saw it, and Aunt Violet said that that was normal. I just can't wait till I can have the stone with me, but I hope that I will get it when I am seventeen and not a moment sooner.

The training isn't that complex. Actually, Aunt Violet won't be fully training me in the powers of the stone until I turn seventeen. Before that, I will be attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, taught by the famous Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

Aunt Violet hasn't let slip that she has found the next emerald eyed child… yet. She will only do so when she thinks I have completed my training and can defend myself against the rising Dark Lord Voldemort. For that is the Dark Lord I was surely destined to defeat. Actually, the only one of my powers I have access to besides my enormous reserves of magic are my metamorphagus **(hope I spelled that right!)** powers.

So right now I am posing as the blonde haired, blue eyed niece of Violet Lionheart. I am known as Jasmine Snow.

Something that was going to be hard to pull off was going shopping in Diagon Alley. You must understand my predicament: I can't pose as a family member of Violet Lionheart because only person besides herself that has magical powers is her mother and the next emerald eyed child. Jasmine Snow is a Squib, as far as anyone but the house elves are concerned (the house elves can see through my metamorphagus disguises), so when I enter Hogwarts I cannot claim any connection at all to my Aunt Violet.

Therefore, shopping at Diagon Alley was going to be hard without the shopkeepers suspecting anything. After all, why would a Squib attend Hogwarts?

Aunt Violet solved this by volunteering to show the muggleborn children around Diagon Alley and to collect their school supplies. The Ministry of Magic approved this, as did Dumbledore (the only other person besides Aunt Violet who knows of my situation) and so I posed as a black haired girl with blue eyes who was an orphan just thrust into the magical world.

The entire trip was uneventful, though it did require a lot of acting on my part (I had to pretend never to have seen Diagon Alley before). I collected all of my school items and tried to be-friend some of the children there. Aunt Violet had warned me about choosing my friends carefully because of my secret and if one of them had intentions of going Dark my secret would be out.

Most of the muggleborns were too dazzled by everything to even notice me, though, so I kept to myself throughout the whole trip.

One memory that stands out in my mind was the trip to the wand store. I couldn't wait to finally be able to choose a wand and start practicing spells myself. The man who helped us pick our wands was rather peculiar though.

His name was Mr. Ollivander, and his eyes seemed to see right through you. When he looked at me, I could tell he knew exactly who I was. "Ah, so you've come, my child. I have waited for so long," he said to me softly. The other children couldn't quite catch it but Aunt Violet did, though, and sent Mr. Ollivander a piercing look. He nodded to her, and she relaxed.

"Alright, children, why don't you follow Mr. Ollivander to go choose your wands?" she suggested. They all cheered and followed the old man and I stayed at the back.

We were led to a room off the side of the collection of wands and made to sit down in front of a long table. The table was a few feet away from our chairs, and on it lay every sort of wand imaginable. The children oohed and aahed, but my gaze was kept on the two wands that lay at the end of the table. They were exactly identical in every way, but there was a space of a few centimetres separating them from the other wands.

Just then, the front door rang and we could hear voices stepping in to the shop. "Curious, very curious," muttered Mr. Ollivander to himself, before stepping out and leading someone else into the room.

The only empty chair left was next to me, and so the boy Mr. Ollivander had just led into the room sat beside me. He had messy black hair and from my expertise on robes (which was quite vast, considering Aunt Violet was a shopping expert) he was also very rich. I couldn't see his face, but suddenly he turned to look at me.

He had the most beautiful hazel chocolate eyes in the whole world. They were framed by steel rimmed glasses and on his face was a jaunty grin. He looked excited to be there too.

I missed what Mr. Ollivander had been saying because when he started speaking, the boy's eyes (which had previously been trained on the wands, particularly the two at the end of the table) swung around to meet mine. I swear I felt a jolt of electricity run up my spine into my chest.

His eyes widened slightly, but before he could say anything Mr. Ollivander announced, "Please go pick your wands now," and everyone leapt to their feet and raced to the table.

I went to the far side of the table which was less crowded and progressed through the wands slowly. None of them seemed right to me! I was wondering whether perhaps I wasn't a witch after all and they had been mistaken when I reached the end of the table – and the two wands.

The wand on my left seemed to be calling my hand to it, and when my hand grasped it, it felt spectacular. Like a part of me was missing before, and it was now recovered.

When I placed my hand on the wand, though, my hand touched someone else's and a jolt of electricity passed between our hands. I looked up at the messy haired boy, who was looking at me too.

The boy had chosen the wand to my right. And as I looked around the room, Mr. Ollivander and Aunt Violet were staring at us quite peculiarly indeed.

**James POV**

I couldn't wait to go to Hogwarts! Every day of my life since I was practically born had been in preparation of going to the greatest magical school in history. I came from a pureblood family and I grew up around everything magical. Our house was bursting with strange things and surprises that you would never have thought to encounter in a grand mansion.

After receiving my owl on my eleventh birthday I had been praying and praying to be able to go to Diagon Alley. Of course, I had been to the Alley before - I've just never shopped for school supplies there yet! I was dying to get my wand and test out the new spells I would find in my books.

After I was pretty much done getting everything my mother pulled me towards a slightly ratty store called Ollivander's and told me that was where I would be getting my wand. The store, though its appearance looked very unappealing, was probably one of the most famous stores in the Alley. It was just my luck today too, since the Keeper was bringing a group of muggleborn children to the Alley for their supplies and they would be getting their wands right around now. That meant Ollivander would have a larger selection of wands out for testing today.

As we were escorted inside to the testing room by Mr. Ollivander himself, he asked me to take a seat. There was only one chair left, next to a black haired blue eyed girl. She looked rather quiet, but was filled with confidence that radiated from her. All of the other children were chattering rather excitedly – she was just sitting there, looking amused.

I sat down next to her and perused the wands. There all sorts of them, with different cores made of different woods. As my eyes ran along the length of the table, I spotted a twin pair of wands sitting slightly aside. I wonder why they had been placed aside, and why they looked identical. From my limited knowledge of wands, no two wands are exactly alike; yet those two seemed to be the exception to the rule.

I felt rather than saw the girl next to me looking at me, and so I swung my gaze around to meet her's. I was rather curious about her anyways – why would a muggle born not be shocked or excited? The only thing I could sense from her was expectation, confidence, and amusement. The instant I met her eyes, though, all of my thoughts disappated away.

Instead of seeing the blue eyes I had seen before, I saw emerald orbs. I was shocked – did her eye colour change? Did I need thicker glasses? The sudden shock of adrenaline I got wasn't unnoticed by me either.

Before I could think further upon this matter, Mr. Ollivander gave us the signal to find out wands, and everyone raced to the table. Not wanting to be left with all the weaker wands, I hurried to the table too and went systematically through the wands.

From what I know from my mother and father, you would know instantaneously whether or not the wand was right for you. Yet none of the wands that passed through my hands gave me that warm, tingly feeling. I was a 100% sure I was a wizard, so why didn't the wands fit?

All too soon, I had reached the end of the table. I stared around wonderingly, looking to see if there were other wands for me to test. And then my eyes fell upon the two solitary wands at the end, looking so invitingly at me. I couldn't resist it, my hand was drawn towards the wand on my left **(James was on the opposite side of the table from Lily)**. As I reached down to grasp the wand, a bolt of electricty touched my hand.

I looked to my right. The girl with the blue-green eyes was standing right next to me, but her flaming red hair was covering her eyes. Wait a minute… red hair? Whoa – where did that idea come from? And yet right in front me, as clear as the day, were waves of beautiful red hair.

**Reviews? I hope I'm going in the right direction in this story! Anyways, an interesting twist in the plot that sets the story on it's path will happen in the chapter after the next. Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Sorting

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP**

**Author`s Note: Very sorry I didn`t write for a long time. Anyways, here`s the third chapter and the fourth chapter will be coming soon! Just to warn you: I`ll be away at horse camp for the next five days so expect an update in five.  
**

Chapter Three

**Lily POV**

Well, here it is. The first day of Hogwarts, September 1st. I'm actually quite excited about going to Hogwarts – Aunt Violet had told me everything she knew about the old castle and I had started to fall in love with it.

I went to Diagon Alley at the end of July and by now I had learned all the spells in Transfiguration, Charms, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. Well, some of the more advanced ones I was still working on, but hey! I now had at least twenty spells locked in my memory just for the right occasion.

And now we've arrived in King's Cross. Oh dear, I'm actually quite nervous about leaving Aunt Violet for the first time…

"Here we are, dear. Do you remember the spell you need to unshrink your trunk?"

"Yes, Aunt Violet. It's _engorgio_, right?"

"Right you are. Well, I must be off. Lily, it's been a pleasure having you stay with me. In fact, the adoption papers just came through today and you are now my adopted daughter! Now, I hope you enjoy Hogwarts and don't get into too much trouble! Tell me your news from your sorting, though I'm almost 99% sure you'll be a Gryffindor. Only one Lionheart in history wasn't, and that was even before the curse had set in. Oh, Lily," I saw a film of unshed tears over Aunt Violet's brilliant emerald eyes.

I hugged Aunt Violet right in front of the pillar that led onto Platform 9 ¾ and cried down the front of her shirt. My days with Aunt Violet had been the best in my life. I had finally found a place where I belonged, with someone who loved me and understood me. I just wish that that would happen for the rest of my life.

"Bye, sweetie! I'll miss you. Write me letters, okay?" said Aunt Violet finally. I nodded my head, smiled brightly up at her, and waved until I could see her car roaring away. I smiled sadly then. My comforter and protector had just left me to face seven years of my new life. I just hope I could, for once, fit in and be normal.

Taking a running start, I flew through the barrier and… "OOF!" I groaned as I ran smack-dab into someone who had been unfortunate enough to be right outside the barrier. "Are you alright?" I heard someone say. I picked myself up and looked at the boy who had just gotten up and began dusting his knees. He looked oddly… familiar.

Just then, he raised his head and I could see the swirling pools of hazel again. It was the boy in Diagon Alley! "You're the boy in Diagon Alley!" I blurted out (it was the first thought that had come to mind). "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to run into you!" I added quickly.

"No problem. You were the girl in the wand shop, weren't you? The girl…" he trailed off slightly, but I heard what he was trying to say. _The girl who's wand is exactly the same as mine._ "Yeah," I said, forcing a smile on my face. Just then, I spotted the crest on his belt. It was of a phoenix, poised and ready to take flight.

"I'm James…" the boy (James, I mean) started before I cut him off. "You're a Potter, aren't you?"

"Yeah… how did you know that? You're a muggle born," he said, his voice laced with suspicion.

I groaned mentally. How could I have been so stupid?! Of course I couldn't have recognized him! "I read it in some book or other. I picked up a lot of books because I was worried I wouldn't succeed in my classes. You know, with me being muggle born and all," I said, lying through my teeth. Part of it was true, though. I was afraid of not being able to succeed in my classes. I mean, I had mastered Charms, Transfiguration and Defense, but all of the other subjects were unknown to me.

I had actually seen the Potter family crest on the list of ancient magical families in Great Britain. Potter was in the top ten, just a few spaces under Lionheart. Lionheart was actually the mutual number one on the list. Even though the family had died out, the Keeper still existed and no one could compete with the Lionheart funds or estates. Potter, I believe, was second on the list. Or perhaps it was third.

The Lionheart crest was one of a Lion rearing up with a phoenix on its paw, symbolizing courage, bravery, and Light. On the three formal robes Aunt Violet had commissioned for me _just in case_ they all had the Lionheart crest on them. That would also be the crest I would wear somewhere on my clothes when I became a Lionheart.

The boy (_Potter_) seemed satisfied with my answer. "Oh. Yeah, my family name appears on a lot of books," he said casually, running his hands through his messy hair. I winced internally at this act of arrogance. Just then, the whistle on the train blew and I raced towards the train.

"Wait!" yelled Potter. I ignored him, since the train was spewing smoke now. I had just got through the doors when the train started moving. I looked back at Potter. He was a fast runner for an eleven year old, but he couldn't hope to make it to the train. I sighed in annoyance, but I knew he might be a pretty good friend to keep around. _'Acccio'_ I muttered under my breath. It's the Summoning Charm that Aunt Violet taught me. You don't usually learn it until OWLS.

It worked like magic. Potter flew towards me, his eyes widened in fear. He collided into me and, again, we landed in a tumble on the floor.

The first train ride to Hogwarts, I spent with James. After he thanked me profusely and I rolled my eyes and accepted it graciously, we found ourselves an empty compartment near the end of the train. Then, we started to talk about our expectations of Hogwarts.

"I wonder how we will get sorted," said James wistfully. It was one of the biggest secrets his parents had kept from him about Hogwarts, according to James. Aunt Violet didn't tell me either. "I don't know either. Muggleborn, remember? I've read so many books on Hogwarts, and not one of them mention how the students get sorted!" I said frustratedly, revealing one of my deepest research projects to him.

I had become obsessed with finidng out about the Sorting ritual, but nothing helped. No one said anything to me about it, except for Aunt Violet's oh-so-comforting comment, "It won't hurt, Lily, and you'll be able to pass it. Everyone can,". Of course, I couldn't tell James that since that would mean revealing Aunt Violet to him. What I _could_ tell him were some of the more popular myths aroung the Sorting (some of those were actually stated in the books while others were just my own speculations).

About five minutes into our conversation, our compartment door flew open and a black haired boy with grey eyes stumbled in tugging a honey blond boy of the same age behind him. He collapsed into one of the seats, panting. "Who… the bloody… hell was… that?!" panted the honey blond. The black haired boy just scowled and replied, "My dear cousin," His voice dripped with sarcasm.

A loud banging was heard and the compartment door flew open for the third time. "Sirius Black, get out here at once! Have you no pride to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black?!" screeched a black haired girl a few years older than us. If her face had not been contorted with rage, she would have been passed off as pretty.

"Bella, don't get your knickers in a twist. Screw the family! You're just arrogant pigs who won't accept it's the 20th century!" said the black haired boy (Sirius Black, I mean). His voice barely surpressed his anger. "Why you little…! How dare you! And sitting with the likes of…" she examined our compartment and caught sight of James and I, "_them_. A Mudblood and a Potter,"

She spat the word Mudblood out, and apparently to her Potter was no better. I was grinning mentally. Lionheart was the most ancient and pure bloodline and so was Potter. Both were by far purer than the Blacks, and their estates and accounts could match the Blacks galleon for galleon, mansion for mansion. James' eyes narrowed slightly when the raving girl called me a Mudblood. "Don't you dare call her that. Her blood is purer than yours, as is mine," Too right he was at that.

The girl's eyes narrowed slightly in anger before whirling around to face Sirius again, "This won't be the last straw, cousin dearest. I don't know who corrupted you but when you are sorted into Slytherin so help me I will _make_ you into a Black if it's the last thing I do," The girl flounced off after that.

Sirius was panting slightly after that encounter, sprawled across one of the plush benches. The honey blond boy next to him was still staring at the door in shock. I decided to approach this matter diplomatically.

"Hello, my name is Lily Evans and this is James Potter," I said to them after a minute. My Aunt and I had decided I could keep my name (Lily) since no one knew that was her niece's name. Evans was my father's last name, and so that was anonymous too.

"Sirius Black, and this fellow here just happened to get on Bella's wrong side," said the black haired boy grinning jauntily. "Remus Lupin," the boy said softly, raising his hand. I raised my eyebrows. In this compartment alone there was a gathering of the children of the youngest four most powerful, magical and rich families in the history of the wizarding world.

According to the recent updates, Lionheart has always been first, Potter has never managed to beat Lionheart, Black is third in line and Lupin comes in fourth tied with the Prewitts. However, it would be a miracle if we all got into the same houses at Hogwarts. Lionhearts and Potter are traditionally Gryffindors, but Lupins are more Ravenclaws and Blacks have always been Slytherins.

"A _Black_ associating himself with a _Potter_?" asked James incredulously. Even though Potter ranks higher than the Blacks (In fact, James himself is the fifth most powerful person in the world after his parents, Aunt Violet and myself) Blacks have always treated Gryffindors like scum. "I am not my family, and I'll kill myself if I get Sorted into Slytherin," said Sirius in a slightly chilling voice.

I broke into a grin. "I never imagined I would live to the day when a Black would say that sentence," Sirius gave me a quizical look, as did Remus. "I thought you were muggle born," said Remus, puzzled. "Books are wonderful things, Remus, and your three names have appeared in a lot of them recently," I replied with a grin.

From that point onwards, the four of us just talked, laughed, and became best friends. They accepted me without questioning my background and my knowledge of the wizarding world. They didn't pry into my life, and I didn't to them.

The Sorting went successfully, and the four of us nearly wet our pants in relief when we heard all we had to do was try on a hat!

_So, you are the new Keeper of the Light_

_Yes? _

_Hm… you are different than the others. You possess a more… diverse personality. Cunning, a devourer of knowledge, loyal and obedient, brave and passionate. Yes, very good traits indeed. But where to put you?_

_Not Slytherin, not Slytherin_

_Not Slythering, eh? But of course not, the house is unfitting for the Keeper of the Light. Very well, be true to your nature, Keeper. Be true to _GRYFFINDOR!

The hat yelled the last word out across the halls and the Gryffindor table broke into applause. Sirius, who had been sorted before me and gotten his dear wish to be in Gryffindor, broke into a grin as I slid into the seat beside him. "Well done, my fellow comrade," he said gleefully.

"Don't you comrade me, Sirius. You'd trade me away for food without a second thought,"

"That's what you love about me!"

By the end of the Sorting, I realized that the impossible had happened. All four of us were in Gryffindor and I could't be happier.

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	4. Chapter 4: Black Envelope

**Disclaimer: I do not own HP**

**Author's Note: Yay! Two chapters in one day! This will be start of life changing Lily events, so be prepared...**

Chapter Four

**Lily's POV**

Everything was going so well. I was excelling in all my classes, having studied previously. Therefore, I was able to hand in my homework without much hardship. Remus, I found, loved studying and learning just as much as I did and we would often study together at the library.

James and Sirius, though, loved playing pranks a lot more. Both of those boys were identical in their personality, and a love of pranks ran through both of them to the core. I was mischevious too, though I tried to hide it from Petunia and my mother, but Aunt Violet had uncovered it within me a few weeks ago.

The first prank we tried was quite simple. All we did was practice the _Wingardium Leviosa_ charm _accidentally_ on the Slytherins during breakfast one morning. However, there was a slight twist to our spell…

"Ready, guys?" I murmured. James nodded ever so slightly and Sirius grinned at me in response. Remus raised an eyebrow at me and James leaned over, muttering, "Born ready,"

"For me to kick your ass," I retorted.

"Now, now, kids, no fighting. On my count. Three… two… one… go!" whispered Sirius. We flourished our wands discreetly at the green robed table and muttered _Wingardium Leviosa_. However, we did the swish and flick movements backward and in a few seconds the entire Slytherin table was floated into the air and turned upside down.

"Never knew Malfoy wore hot pink boxers," snickered Sirius as we all laughed with the rest of the school. I just exchanged a look of glee with Remus, who had helped me discover the spell when I had tried tutoring him on it.

When the tumult died down, Professor McGonagal was trying to look furious… and failing rather miserably. "Whoever did that shall not go unpunished," she announced rather firmly, righting and floating the Slytherins down with a flick her wand. She was fighting a tiny smirk in the corner of her mouth though as she walked briskly back to the teacher's table.

As I scanned the teacher's table, I saw Professor Dumbledore looking straight at me with a twinkle in his eyes. He smiled slightly and nodded his head to me, and went back to his conversation with Professor Flitwick on the unusual properties of a reversed Wingardium Leviosa.

**James's POV**

Hogwarts was just as magnificent as Mother and Father had assured me it would be, and the experience was magnified ten fold with my new found friends by my side. We had formed a little group called the Marauders with just the four of us in it, and it was our pleasure to gallavant around the castle, pranking unsuspecting bystanders as we pleased. All in all, it was a rather grand life.

One enigma in life was Lily Evans. To be perfectly honest with you, I didn't quite know what to make of her. She was a muggle born (or at least, she claimed to be) but she acted like she was from a high-ranking pureblood family. She had enough knowledge of the wizarding world to acknowledge and befriend a Potter, a Black and a Lupin all at one go. Lily was very clever too, and she aced all her classes without seeming to realize it. I could see Remus try more than once to figure out how she did it – Remy is by far the biggest bookworm I have ever seen except for Lily.

Also, whenever I see Lily, I always see an eleven year old with hypnotic pools of emerald and dazzling auburn hair instead of a straight black hair and blue eyes. I think Lily knows this, because more than once I've seen her look at herself in a mirror and back at me. I don't know what's going on with Lily, but whatever it is I hope she can trust me with it before the end of the year,

**Lily's POV**

Just as my life at Hogwarts was sailing along perfectly, one morning I received the worst news in my life.

I was just sitting at breakfast, chatting with my fellow Marauders about our next prank on the gits extraordinaire Snape and Malfoy when an owl swooped into the Great Hall. Buzzes and whisper sounded immediately as I whipped around and saw the creature. He was magnificent, that was for sure, but the reason for all the rumours was because of the black envelope tied to its leg.

A black envelope signified death. Death in the family, usually. I just prayed it wouldn't land on me.

The owl swooped towards the Gryffindor table and all the Gryffindors jumped in fright. Several burst out in tears. I was alright though, I knew Aunt Violet couldn't possibly have died. She was so young, and so powerful, and if she had my life would literally fall into pieces.

The owl swooped along the table. As it passed people by, the faces broke into bright smiles and conversations began again. The Marauders and I were sitting at the end of the table.

The owl passed everyone and it was now at the stretch of table between the rest of the Gryffindors and us. We had made it that way so that no one could hear us plotting, but now we turned to each other and swallowed. One of us were to receive the black envelope, and only Sirius remained untroubled by it.

The owl stopped in front me. _Me_. And dropped the letter on my plate before swooping out of the Hall.

My friends stared in horror at me, but in confusion too. Why would anyone want to murder one of my family? Because that was what the Black envelope meant: white meant old age, black meant homicide. Murder. Death.

With shaking hands, I opened the envelope. No tears poured from my face as I hoped it was my mother or Petunia. I just didn't realize I had said it out loud.

"Who's Petunia?" asked Sirius, staring at my face intently. I ignored him, removing the thick manila paper from the envelope as I read it.

_Miss Lionheart,_

_It is our sorrowful duty to inform you that a Miss Rose Evans last night chose to end her life by means of suicide. No funeral has been held for her because of her past crimes. Your mother passed away while she was in Azkaban. _

_On a graver note, Petunia Evans has been sent to a foster family to be taken care. She has been Obliviated of her past, her memories of magic and the wizarding world, and of her crimes against you. From this moment on, she is no longer your sister._

_Last night, a Miss Violet Lionheart was murdered by the Killing Curse from a surprise attach as she made her way home from the Ministry of Magic. From what our theologists tell us, the residue of magic above her hints that she was murdered by the Dark Lord. Because of this, the necklace of the Keeper of the Light has been entrusted to you._

_Our deepest condolences,_

_Harold James Potter_

_Minister of Magic_

"No, no, _no, _NO!" I heard the words coming from someone's mouth. They filled the Hall with a pain and anguish greater than that I have ever known. It was not until I looked at my friend's faces that I realized they came from me.

No tears made their way down yet. My eyes remained dry, blinking. I was in shock from what I had just learnt. My family, all dead or gone. I have no family members now, no one to love me. No home to go back to.

"Aunt Violet, how could you leave me?" I whispered softly.

"The envelope still has something left in it," reminded James softly. I groped into the depths of the envelope and pulled out the necklace that had always been worn by Aunt Violet. Right now, the pendant was a marble since I had not discovered my true form yet. My friends gasped.

"The Keeper of the Light!" Remus stuttered.

"Miss Lionheart," Dumbledore said softly. I hadn't realized that he had approached me until then. My friend's eyes widened at his words and at my name. "Miss Lionheart, we have much to discuss," he said again.

I nodded, shaking, and rose unsteadily to my feet. James, who was sitting next to me, made a move to help me but Dumbledore shook his head. "She is the Keeper, Mr. Potter," James nodded slowly, but his eyes never left my face.

I smiled at them sadly, then followed Dumbledored out of the Great Hall, leaving total silence behind.

***

"Cockcroach Clusters," said Dumbledore firmly, and the gargoyle complied by revealing a set of stairs. I followed him blindly, clutching my necklace and my letter as I tripped up the stairs and into his office.

If it had been any other day, I would have been stunned at the oddities collected on splindly tables placed across the room. Dumbledore sat down at his chair and bade for me to sit in front of his desk. "Miss Lionheart, I am very sorry to hear about the death of your Aunt and mother,"

I just nodded my head softly.

"Now, we must move on to more pressing matters. As you would have found out by now, your Aunt was killed by Voldemort. I have reason to believe Voldemort will now be after you if he even realizes who you are," continued Dumbledore.

"I don't want to be the Keeper. Why can't you be? I'm not fit to defeat Voldemort, I don't even know _how_ be a Keeper. I don't know what powers they have or how to control them. I don't know what to do," I suddenly burst out.

My mind had been completely blank and numb until then, but I had forced myself to face reality. My Aunt… she would have wanted me to stay strong.

"Miss Lionheart, you cannot refuse your destiny. All I can do is train you as best as I can. Not many people know much about the Keepers but I have been honoured enough to study from your grandmother and your great-grandfather. I know the ways of the Keeper and I can help you, too," Dumbledore offered.

I considered thids cautiously. Was I ready to be what my Aunt had wanted me to be? Would I be strong enough? I had no idea what to do with my life. I guess this was the best place to start.

"I'll acept your offer,"

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